Antioxidant Evaluation and Heavy Metals Accumulation Of Capsicum Annuum L. Cultivars

Capsicum annuum L. commonly known as chilli provides dietary fibers, minerals and vitamins. In this study, three different chilli cultivars commonly named as Dandi, Ghotki and German were studied for the determination of physico-chemical properties, antioxidant activity and metal content. German showed maximum nutritional components as compared to Ghotki and Dandi such as TA (0.43 %), TDS (1.95 g/l), TSS (1.29 °Brix) and TSC (1108.72 mg/100 g). Dandi showed higher TPC (6286.60 mg/100 g) and TFC (258.88 mg/100 g) with significant antioxidant activity through DPPH (37.27 % inhibition) and RPA (1134.80 mg/100 g). Fe was found in sufficient amount among chilli cultivars and metals accumulation was within the standard safe limits. Bangladesh J. Bot. 50(3): 507-513, 2021 (September)

Enhancement of Antioxidant and Hydrophobic Properties of Alginate via Aromatic Derivatization: Preparation, Characterization, and Evaluation

The preparation of bioactive polymeric molecules requires the attention of scientists as it has a potential function in biomedical applications. In the current study, functional substitution of alginate with a benzoyl group was prepared via coupling its hydroxyl group with benzoyl chloride. Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy indicated the characteristic peaks of aromatic C=C in alginate derivative at 1431 cm−1. HNMR analysis demonstrated the aromatic protons at 7.5 ppm assigned to benzoyl groups attached to alginate hydroxyl groups. Wetting analysis showed a decrease in hydrophilicity in the new alginate derivative. Differential scanning calorimetry and thermal gravimetric analysis showed that the designed aromatic alginate derivative demonstrated higher thermo-stability than alginates. The aromatic alginate derivative displayed high anti-inflammatory properties compared to alginate. Finally, the in vitro antioxidant evaluation of the aromatic alginate derivative showed a significant increase in free radical scavenging activity compared to neat alginate against DPPH (2,2-diphenyll-picrylhydrazyl) and ABTS free radicals. The obtained results proposed that the new alginate derivative could be employed for gene and drug delivery applications.